ATLANTA -- Last July at the Las Vegas summer league, Timberwolves president David Kahn set out to dump Al Jefferson's massive contract.

There was an unconfirmed rumor the 6-foot-10, 280-pound center was offered to the Cavaliers, who had a $14.5 million trade exception.

Jefferson, 25, was coming off major knee surgery in 2009, so the move would have been a risky one.

The Cavs declined the offer.

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One front-office source said he didn't think Jefferson should be a team's best player. In essence, he's a complementary player on a good team.

If he is a team's second- or third-best player, that would be ideal.

Jefferson likely becoming the Cavs' best player isn't a bad thing.

The Cavs could have added other parts along the way, which everyone is assuming what Cavs general manager Chris Grant will do.

One thing to like about Jefferson is his age. He's a legitimate big man who is just 25 years old. This is his seventh season in the NBA.

Jefferson does two things extremely well: score and rebound. The last time I checked, those are two pretty important traits, and two things the Cavs desperately need.

Kahn eventually shipped Jefferson to the Jazz for two first-round picks and center Kosta Koufos, formerly of Ohio State.

Grant is clutching his flexibility tightly to his chest. When the right move comes along, he says he's going to pounce on it.

Was not making a move for Jefferson the right decision?

Watching him play on Monday brought all this to the surface. Jefferson had 16 points and 13 rebounds in the Jazz's 101-90 victory over the Cavs.

Surround Jefferson with Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, Daniel Gibson and Anderson Varejao, and maybe this would be a playoff team. Certainly not a championship team by any means, but it would be close to .500.

Then, Grant could add pieces along the way. Jefferson has a hefty contract: $13 million this season, $14 million in 2011-12 and $15 million in 2012-13.

The Jazz decided to pull the trigger on the deal last July. They needed to find a replacement for Carlos Boozer, who had signed with Chicago in free agency.

The Jazz used the trade exception they received from Chicago in the Boozer deal to complete the trade.

Jefferson is averaging 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds on the season. It's uncertain if he would clog up Coach Byron Scott's Princeton offense. But if Scott had a player such as Jefferson, perhaps he'd find a way to best utilize him.